Cape Town Foodie Escapades: Coco Safar Review

There have been wars waged over territory housing nectar of the gods. Blood spilled in the quest to own Mother Nature’s most inspired creations.

Human’s lust for the finer things knows no bounds, which is evident in the modern landscape, sculpted intricately to showcase excess, mastery and delight.

Cape Town has not remained untouched by the yearning for treats; and we foodie’s traverse these streets today, mapping our daily tread around a competitive food & coffee culture.

This isn’t a new chapter of history, but there’s a new conqueror making a move in this coffee-crazed city.

Today’s foodie escapade takes us to the lifestyle suburb of Sea Point, wherein a new mecca of freshly-ground and steamed nectar of the gods, has been remastered. Welcome to Coco Safar.

Let’s not kid ourselves: you likely do have to resign yourself to instant coffee at the office or at home out of pure convenience, before you crave true brew and determinedly make your way to the nearest cafe atleast once a week.

…Or maybe I’m projecting.

I never used to be this coffee crazed. Earl Grey tea remains the love of my life, but man! Cape Town barista’s will draw you in from a mile away, concocting aromatic mugs full of intricately blended mutt coffee beans.

In a city already inundated with coffee cafe’s opening and closing in the blink of a fickle customers eye, Coco Safar made sure to move in on this territory when they knew it would keep.

Here are the facts on the Cafe, Espresso Bar, Capsule Emporium & Couture Patisserie…and why you’ll end up there in the months to come:

“Conceived in New York, designed in Toronto and made in Cape Town – Coco Safar has been a 10-year global journey to bring you a luxury coffee café experience that is extraordinary in every way…

Our greatest passion is to create the world’s finest couture coffee experience and that journey starts with finding the world’s finest Third Wave specialty, auction lot, micro-lot, and award-winning coffee beans. Our curated beans are roasted in small batches for best quality in our Cape Town Roastery & Coffee Lab, ground to fine perfection and then served with the requisite care by our highly trained baristas…

Our Espresso Bar is home to the world’s first Spirit Idrocompresso machines, exclusively hand built for Coco Safar in Holland by the world’s leading designer and maker of commercial espresso machines Kees van der Westen. The Spirit Idrocompresso is a true innovation designed to deliver the most extraordinary coffee experience when pulling a fine shot of our signature house blends, curated single origin and couture estate cafés de caractère.” – Coco Safar

I am a baked goods connoisseur, by sheer quantity of consumption alone, and I’ve got to give Coco Safar props for their rather scrumptious and light breakfast croissant.

The Croissant Benedict & Greens, with house cured lamb-pancetta, a medium poached egg, a ripe roasted red tomato and hollandaise sauce, is the closest thing to a full English breakfast here…and it’s not too shabby a substitute.

Dessert

It all looks good, and it tastes just as good.

Coco Safar may be all about the finest coffee, but they honestly excel even better with their couture patisserie.

As the owner of a particularly vicious sweet tooth, seeing Coco Safar’s couture patisserie was like meeting a particularly talented siren.

“Inspired by the great French tradition, our pâtisserie and viennoiseries have been given unique twists by our team of pastry artisans spanning Cape Town and New York with many of our recipes borrowing from maple-infusions originally developed in Toronto to bring you the most extraordinary culinary journey.” – Coco Safar

Verdict?

You’ll get a drinking education here. It’ll leave you reeling with information on coffee, brewing and the need for more places so meticulous with details. You’re to recline back on Coco Safar’s plush quilted brushed velvet and distressed leather seating by the end, thoroughly resting in decadent contentment, and consciously planning your next visit.

Likely in the Top 5, of Cape Town’s most exquisite and well-thought out dining experiences.

What about the health nuts & vegetarians?

Vegetarians and Gluten-free folks: You are not the forgotten step-child.

Coco Safar menu pretty much caters more for those who don’t have a penchant for meat; That’s not to say carnivores can’t be left sated.

Please heed: No substitutions allowed!

What of the drinks & booze?

So you may come to Coco Safar for the food, but you’ll end up staying hours like I did, because of the house-made beverages.

If you have a sweet tooth, you should treat your taste buds with Hot chocolate, and drop some of Coco Safar’s breathtaking Valrona Chocolate in there for even more goodness.

The smoothness, sweetness and surprisingly complex flavor of the chocolate actually manifests when you end up sipping your mix.

The ‘Flight Experience’, even for those with a hate-on for coffee, will leave you content and caffeine-free. I sampled 3 piccolo-sized lattes: one made with Tumeric (my surprising favorite), one was chocolatey with a sharp citrus flavor (mirroring the existing notion laden in Coco Safar’s truffles), and the third involving Rooibos.

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